Hong Kong team bag 16 awards at 19th APICTA Awards
<Published in The Government of the Hong Kong Administrative Region Press Releases, 23 November 2019>
Hong Kong delegation returned with triumphant results at the 19th Asia Pacific Information and Communications Technology Alliance (APICTA) Awards held in Ha Long, Vietnam. The delegation bagged altogether six Winner and 10 Merit awards at the event lasted from November 19 to 22, winning the highest number of awards among the 15 competing member-economies.
The annual event is a valuable platform for ICT talent in the Asia Pacific region to exchange ideas and forge new partnerships. This year, a 60-strong delegation was led by the Government Chief Information Officer, Mr Victor Lam, to take part in the event. The following projects from Hong Kong shone at the competition and won among 324 entries:
Winner Awards
VAR LIVE Shop / VAR BOX by VAR LIVE International Limited (Consumer category – Media & Entertainment)
Evaluation of Visual Disability in a Virtual Reality Environment by ACE VR Ltd (Inclusions & Community Services category – Health and Wellbeing)
4LittleTrees by Find Solutions AI Limited (Inclusions & Community Services category – Education)
Gekko Graph by Gekko Artificial Intelligence Ltd (Technology category - Big Data Analytics)
From detection of rain to safeguarding of the community against hazardous weather by the Hong Kong Observatory (Public Sector and Government category– Government & Citizen Services)
From detection of rain to safeguarding of the community against hazardous weather by the Hong Kong Observatory (Technology category - Artificial Intelligence)
Merit Awards
VAR LIVE Shop / VAR BOX by VAR LIVE International Limited (Start Up category)
Smart glasses 3D Display by Marvel Digital Limited (Consumer category – Media & Entertainment)
One stop renovation platform by HK Decoman Technology Ltd (Consumer category – Marketplaces)
Pulse of HKUST – A Data-Driven Smart Campus by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Research and Development category)
Finding Mini by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Tertiary Students category)
Prosroid: The Wheelchair Training Simulator by the City University of Hong Kong (Tertiary Students category)
A.I.CAMe by Christian Alliance SW Chan Memorial College (Senior Students category)
Augmented Reality Game for Identifying Early-age School Kids with Dyslexia by Christian Alliance SW Chan Memorial College (Senior Students category)
BackUp by Cheung Sha Wan Catholic Secondary School (Junior Students category)
Intelligent Minibus and Minibus Station 2.0 by Heung To Secondary School (Tseung Kwan O) (Junior Students category)
"We are proud of the accomplishment of the delegation, particularly the dedication and innovative ideas demonstrated by our ICT professionals and students. The Hong Kong delegation has been yielding good results in the event. It is not only a recognition for the Government's protracted backings to widening and nourishing local innovation and technology (I&T) talent pool but also a very encouraging indicator for our booming I&T ecosystem. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the Hong Kong Computer Society which had attributed great effort in organising and mentoring the delegation, making happened the success today," said Mr Lam.
To help non-governmental organisations (NGOs) extend their reach and students to move beyond local boundary, the Government sponsored 17 students from one secondary school and two universities as well as two NGO representatives to participate in the event. Mr Lam noted that the opportunity to compete and exchange with regional top players was certainly an eye-opening experience for the students. The students indeed got brilliant results by sweeping seven merit awards for Hong Kong.
As a side event to the Awards, a Hong Kong Reception was hosted by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Hong Kong Computer Society on November 21. The Hong Kong delegation showcased their insights, innovative ideas and solutions to representatives from other participating economies.
Aiming at stimulating ICT innovation and creativity, facilitating technology transfer, and offering business matching opportunities via exposure to venture capitalists and angel investors, the annual APICTA Awards is run by APICTA member-economies in rotation. The event offers networking and product introduction opportunities to participating ICT innovators and entrepreneurs.